LAHORE, June 4: The Quaid-i-Azam was not secular, but he advocated what he called liberal Islam for Pakistan, with equal political and civil rights for all people, former senator Dr Javid Iqbal said here on Wednesday.

Speaking at a meeting of the Quaid-i-Azam Forum at Quaid-i-Azam Library to commemorate the Pakistan plan announced by the great leader on June 3, 1947 in his radio speech, Dr Iqbal said the Quaid visualised Pakistan as a modern, Islamic and democratic welfare state based on Allama Iqbal’s concept of spiritual democracy. He wanted Pakistan to be a federal parliamentary democracy with equal rights for its people and the rule of law. “But we have failed to realise this dream of the Quaid and drifted away from his concepts and principles.”

He said the new generation must come forward to make Pakistan according to the vision of Allama Iqbal and the Quaid-i-Azam. He said there was no doubt that Islam was the basis of Pakistan and it was the Quaid’s mission to ameliorate the political, social and economic conditions of the Muslims of the subcontinent. He wanted a territory to complete his mission and he succeeded in achieving Pakistan, but now it was the responsibility of the people to fulfill his mission and make Pakistan a modern Islamic, democratic and welfare state. He wanted Urdu to be the national language for the sake of national integrity and solidarity.

Dr Iqbal said the reinstatement of the deposed judges should be decided separately from the constitutional amendments package, adding the reinstatement was a more urgent matter than the amendments.

Former Punjab governor Shahid Hamid said that before achieving Pakistan the Quaid’s main concern was the condition of the Indian Muslims. After achieving Pakistan his main concern was provision of equal education, health and development opportunities to all people, supremacy of the constitution, independence of the judiciary and the rule of law. He said the nation had failed to live up to the Quaid’s vision.

Hamid said that despite so much propaganda by various governments no worthwhile progress had been made in the field of education. He said the number of government schools in Punjab was static at 60,000 for the last several years. Officially, Pakistan has 40 million poor, but unofficially this number stands at 60 million and all these people cannot afford to send their children to private schools, which are charging heavily.